Leveraging the Detroit-Windsor International Metropolis Status

**southen** · October-06-17, 06:23 PM

I would take the Gondola that the Windsor Mayor recently talked about reviving or a water taxi. Anything that allows people to travel from one place to another without have to travel by car.

**401don** · October-06-17, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by southen

I would take the Gondola that the Windsor Mayor recently talked about reviving or a water taxi. Anything that allows people to travel from one place to another without have to travel by car.

Sounds nice in theory but is it really practical? How many Detroiters really have a reason to cross over to downtown Windsor. Almost all of the traffic is the other direction for obvious reasons and the tunnel bus conveniently drops riders off at stadia and other points of interest. Add in the cost of border crossings to that of running these other modes of transit and it's just not realistic.

**southen** · October-07-17, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Sounds nice in theory but is it really practical? How many Detroiters really have a reason to cross over to downtown Windsor. Almost all of the traffic is the other direction for obvious reasons and the tunnel bus conveniently drops riders off at stadia and other points of interest. Add in the cost of border crossings to that of running these other modes of transit and it's just not realistic.

I don't think for a second the the gondola is practical and I would be opposed to it if it took any taxpayer resources. I just think it is an interesting way to further tie together the two cities/two countries. Who wants to take a bus through a dank tunnel when you can be 170 feet over the river with incredible views?

That somewhat ties into the water taxi idea as well. Sure, it will be more expensive than a bus, but I want the experience. I have been fortunate enough to work a few events on yachts that go by the skyline, it is breathtaking. I think people would gladly pay a bit more for that view and experience. The Port of Detroit building actually contains security equipment for when cruise ships dock there, so it is possible to do screening before sending people across the river.

**davewindsor** · October-07-17, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Sounds nice in theory but is it really practical? How many Detroiters really have a reason to cross over to downtown Windsor. Almost all of the traffic is the other direction for obvious reasons and the tunnel bus conveniently drops riders off at stadia and other points of interest. Add in the cost of border crossings to that of running these other modes of transit and it's just not realistic.

Is the ferry that moves cars and people from Kingsville and Leamington several times a day to Sandusky, Ohio and back really "practical"? No, but Canadian taxpayers still subsidize it.

When was the last time something was built by or funded by the Canadian government good value for the taxpayer? While I agree with you that this would be a big waste of money, when is "cost" ever a relevant discussion with a socialist government?

BTW - if you think Americans have little reason to come over to Windsor these days, walk through the Caesar's Windsor parking garage any day of the week. You'll see that half the parked cars have American plates because casino winnings are tax free in Canada and they also draw a lot of Americans to top acts every week at their adjoining collosseum. It's common for me to see plates all the way from Texas and Arizona parked in that garage. Do you think mostly locals could support their payroll of 3,600 employees? They're Windsor's second largest employer. Whether they visit anything else in downtown Windsor is questionable, but the draw to the "downtown Windsor" casino is there.

**401don** · October-07-17, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

BTW - if you think Americans have little reason to come over to Windsor these days, walk through the Caesar's Windsor parking garage any day of the week. You'll see that half the parked cars have American plates because casino winnings are tax free in Canada and they also draw a lot of Americans to top acts every week at their adjoining collosseum. It's common for me to see plates all the way from Texas and Arizona parked in that garage. Do you think mostly locals could support their payroll of 3,600 employees? They're Windsor's second largest employer. Whether they visit anything else in downtown Windsor is questionable, but the draw to the "downtown Windsor" casino is there.

Sure they come for the casino but are they going to drive in from the burbs and pay to park in downtown Detroit to take the gondola across to the casino?

**313WX** · October-07-17, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

Sure they come for the casino but are they going to drive in from the burbs and pay to park in downtown Detroit to take the gondola across to the casino?

Not at all, especially if it's more expensive than driving.

**davewindsor** · October-07-17, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Not at all, especially if it's more expensive than driving.

Why would it be more expensive if the Canadian government subsidizes it like other forms of public transportation? Do I agree it should be a subsidized fare? No. But, that's what would most likely happen because that's Canada's mindset.

It's cheaper to take the tunnel bus than to pay the tunnel tolls unless you're car pooling.

Can you believe that a regular monthly tunnel bus pass is only $95.70 CDN a month? That shouldn't be.

**313WX** · October-07-17, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

Why would it be more expensive if the Canadian government subsidizes it like other forms of public transportation? Do I agree it should be a subsidized fare? No. But, that's what would most likely happen because that's Canada's mindset.

It's cheaper to take the tunnel bus than to pay the tunnel tolls unless you're car pooling.

Can you believe that a regular monthly tunnel bus pass is only $95.70 CDN a month? That shouldn't be.

If the Canadian government subsidizes this boondoggle 100%, then yeah, that's a completely different story.

**davewindsor** · October-07-17, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

Sure they come for the casino but are they going to drive in from the burbs and pay to park in downtown Detroit to take the gondola across to the casino?

Sure, that all depends on what's the draw to downtown Detroit that day. They could see a baseball or hockey game or something else in downtown Detroit and then take a gondola to Caesar's, gamble, and then head back.

Why do people take the tunnel bus now when they could drive?